Background: Globally, preterm birth is a major cause of neonatal morbidity and mortality, with a disproportionate burden in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) and South Asia.

Aim: The study's purpose was to assess the challenges nurses and mothers of preterm babies faced in Sokoto. 

Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed to collect data from 30 nurses and 22 mothers using two different questionnaires. SPSS Version 23.0 was used for data analysis.

Results: The major challenges reported by the nurses encountered were a lack of continuous training on neonatal care for staff  (x̄ =4.5) and limited hospital management support for material resources and their maintenance (x̄ = 4.1). For mothers, the commonly faced challenges reported were unavailability of drugs because they could not afford to buy (x̄ =3.9) and ongoing anxiety concerning the survival of their prematurely born babies (x̄ =3.8). Regular parental counselling and electrical power supply for equipment were the most recommended measures by both nurses and mothers (x̄ = 4.8).

Conclusion: The key identified challenges to the care of preterm infants in Sokoto State were hospital factors (poor in-service staff training and inadequate healthcare infrastructure), and patients’ factors (poverty and anxiety associated with preterm deliveries).

Recommendation: To improve access to quality neonatal care, a special social welfare package for parents with preterm babies was recommended. Improvement in healthcare infrastructure and services, including routine in-service training of health staff, was equally recommended.